Are Your Trade Secrets Really Safe? 4 Steps To Safeguard Your Competitive Edge

Rincker Law Business/Commercial Law, Intellectual Property, Trademarks Leave a Comment

A trade secret is a piece of information which is confidential, can be legally protected, and gives your company a competitive edge.  Lots of the most famous examples involve recipes: the formula for Coca Cola, McDonald’s Big Mac “secret sauce”, or that Mrs. Field’s chocolate chip cookie recipe that caused such a legal stir in the 90s.  But you don’t …

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So What About Those Farm Pictures? The Legal Side of Farm Photography

Rincker Law Food & Ag Law, Intellectual Property Leave a Comment

I wrote an article recently on the legal side of farm photography, which can be accessed from my JD Supra page here.  The article gives a brief overview of the law of photography and the need for a model release and/or property release in some circumstances.  Happy reading!

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Ask Cari: Can I Copyright that Recipe?

Rincker Law Copyrights, Food & Ag Law, Intellectual Property Leave a Comment

Dear Cari,  I am writing a cookbook and developing some of my own recipes.  Do I have copyright protection with my recipes? Ann. M.  Dear Ann: To answer your question, one must first look at what can be copyrighted.  Under the U.S. Copyright Act, 17 U.S.C. § 102, copyright applies only to “original works of authorship fixed in any tangible …

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Overview of Copyrights

Rincker Law Copyrights, Food & Ag Law, Intellectual Property Leave a Comment

Copyright is a form of intellectual property protection provided to the authors of “original works of authorship,” including literary, dramatic, musical, artistic, and certain other intellectual works, both published and unpublished. Any expression, however, once written down in unique form, qualifies for copyright protection. Copyright protection comes into being as soon as an expression is recorded in some manner (in …

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Protect Your Livestock Brand with Trademarks

Rincker Law Intellectual Property, Trademarks Leave a Comment

I’m excited about the upcoming Fourth of July break.  I’m heading up to Massachusetts for some R & R in the Berkshires.  I recently wrote this article on trademark protection for livestock operations.  You should take a moment and read it beachside or over a Fourth of July BBQ.  Happy Fourth!

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Quick Summary of Trademarks for Farms, Agri-Businesses and Food Entrepreuners

Rincker Law Intellectual Property, Trademarks Leave a Comment

Over the last year I have received numerous inquires from farms, agri-businesses and food entrepreneurs about the importance of trademarks and the application process.  This post seeks to give a cursory overview of a few common questions that come my way. Trademarks vs. Service Marks Put simply, a trademark is an identifying mark for consumers in connection with particular goods …

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Interview with M.A. Granovsky, Author of “Poison Pill”

Rincker Law Intellectual Property, Interviews Leave a Comment

I recently got a chance to interview Maria Granovsky, the author of Poison Pill.  Maria is a patent litigator here in New York City.  Like every area of the law, intellectual property (patents, trademarks, and copyrights) very much affects the food and agriculture industry.  This book gives an inside look at patent litigation, from a big firm perspective. Maria uses her …

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“Fridays with Cari” Webinar Series Kicks Off Today

Rincker Law Business/Commercial Law, Family/Matrimonial Law, Food & Ag Law, Intellectual Property, Rincker Law Events, Social Media and Technology, Trademarks, Webinars 3 Comments

I’m excited for my new webinar series titled “Fridays with Cari.”  I will be discussing a variety of agriculture issues with my Friday webinar series ranging from livestock animal cruelty law to estate planning.  I believe that legal information should be affordable for everyone in the food and agriculture industry and I hope that my webinars will be educational to …

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